Several considerations are necessary when developing and negotiating service-level agreements (SLA). Technology administrators should have a trouble-ticket or incident-tracking system that measures and assesses the past and current performances of network-related equipment. Understanding the past performances of a network and its related equipment can help determine future performance expectations. The details of SLA should be based partially upon future performance expectations. SLA should include the roles and responsibilities of the division and vendor. As the user, the division must be able to provide specific information about the system at the time of the problem. The vendor may be able to suggest alternative solutions. Divisions need to have key vendor contact representatives; generic contact telephone numbers may inhibit response times. The SLA should also specify the expected response times and the consequences of any vendor that does not meet service expectations.
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